Emma Kate Tobia

2009 was a busy year for Emma Kate with a number
of prestigious performances associated with the St Patrick's Day
celebrations in New York.

Emma Kate Tobia hails from Westport, Co Mayo, and
now lives in Kinsale Co. Cork. Her grá (love) for Irish Song goes
back to her days in Colaiste Muire, Tuar Mhic Eadaigh and the
Feiseanna competitions. “Aisling na nGael”(an Irish Dream) is
an expression of that love. Emma Kate’s classical training has
resulted in a fusion of a pure lyrical voice with the timeless
melodies of our heritage. Normally sung in the sean-nós style
with little or no accompaniment, the songs in Aisling na nGael
are presented in rich orchestral and choral arrangements. Songs
such as Eanach Cuain, An Mhaighdean Mhara, An Droimeann Donn Dílis,
Fill, Fill, a Rún Ó and Carraigdhoun make up this fresh collection
that will appeal to both classical and traditional music lovers
alike. The collection includes three arrangements which feature
The City of Cork Male Voice Choir and The Chorus of Opera Cork.
These are: Deus Meus, Ag Críost an Síol and Óró ’s é do Bheatha
’Bhaile.

In the eighteenth century, poets of Ireland used
images of dream visions to portray the social happenings of the
day. In these Aislingi a womanly creature, a sovereignty figure,
is lost or hurt by others who should have been there to help her.
Sometimes Ireland is depicted as Gráinne Mhaol (the fierce warrior
Queen of the West) as in Óró sé do Bheatha ’Bhaile, or Róisín
Dubh, whose help is coming on the high seas. Animals feature in
Aislingí also, such as Droimeann Donn Dílis (darling little brown
cow) or the fairy presence of mermaids in An Mhaighdean Mhara.
The Aisling as a powerfully emotive channel for the expression
of social discontent and political turmoil was widespread right
up to the time of the Easter Rising in 1916 and beyond.

Television Presenter Derek Davis profiled her
during a recent programme of OUT OF THE BLUE, and she can be
heard to sing Róisín Dubh during the show.

TG4 have recorded three of the songs from the
album Aisling na nGael for the television programme Abair Amhráin
which will be aired in Spring 2005

Aisling na nGael was aired in America on Saturday
27th Nov 2004 along with a live interview on The Long Ireland
Show with Eileen Cronin in New York

TG4 will also recorded Emma Kate on January
16th 2005 for the arts programme Soiscéal Phádraig with Pádraig
Breathnach

"This mixture of Classical training along with a love for Irish
Music is seen as unique"…..Derek Davis